Call for help to clean up damage from weekend hailstorm

CALGARY (660 NEWS) — With Neighbour Day happening on Saturday, there is a call to Calgarians to assist in any way they can following the devastating hailstorm that ripped through the city last weekend.

Although large community events have been called off due to COVID-19, Neighbour Day is still going ahead in a different fashion, with the original spirit of the day continuing.

It was first created following the 2013 floods, when Calgarians banded together to help out with cleanup and recovery from the natural disaster. Seven years later, another natural disaster has left tens of thousands of homes damaged, with repair bills likely hitting the billion-dollar mark.

The hail — some of it measuring as wide as a tennis ball — ripped the siding off of homes, damaged roofs, and shattered car windshields. Northeast communities such as Martindale, Taradale and Saddle Ridge were some of the hardest hit, with homes looking like they had been sprayed with gunfire.

The city is offering any assistance it can, with people again being asked to lend a hand.

“This has been an extremely busy week,” said Ward 5 Councillor George Chahal. “My assessment’s are over 20,000 homes probably damaged.”

There’s also a large amount of yard waste, as the hail ripped trees and plants apart.

First off, dozens of large garbage bins have been placed out in the communities to make it easier for people to toss away some of the waste.

“I think that’s going to be a tremendous help, where many resident’s cars are not operable at this time. They don’t have the access to other vehicles to take garbage to the dump, and I think this is a huge initiative,” said Chahal.
A list of the bins currently in place is available on Chahal’s Facebook page.

In addition, as there’s a lot of questions about what resources are available for people in the wake of such an event, there will be an all-day information session set up outside the Genesis Centre from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.

“Some of the information that citizens will be able to get includes building permit enquiries, tips on safely hiring contractors, answers to any bylaw questions, access to community cleanup tools and supplies, as well as emergency preparedness and recovery information,” said Calgary Emergency Management Agency Deputy Chief Sue Henry.

Physical distancing requirements will be in place, and people are asked to wear a mask if they go to the session.

Also, Henry again reminded that there may be some people trying to take advantage of the situation and you should watch out for fraudulent contractors.

Moving forward, Chahal said the city will continue to have more conversations about how the damage from these sorts of events can be avoided in the future.

Council will be having more conversations about subjects such as building materials for homes, stormwater systems, and the possibility of the province providing any financial relief.

Henry also said that the city will continue to examine if the emergency alert system could be better used during these situations, but the storm that hit on Saturday was unpredictably severe and there was not a lot of lead time for forecasters to send out a proper alert.

Chahal said these are the moments where Calgarians shine, and he is confident the same result will happen here.
“If you can spend some time, if you have friends, just help your neighbour, clean up your street, and help anybody else in need, we would love to have you out.”